Wilderness Visitors and Recreation Impacts: Baseline Data Available for Twentieth Century Conditions
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United States Department of Agriculture Wilderness Visitors and Forest Service Recreation Impacts: Baseline Rocky Mountain Research Station Data Available for Twentieth General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-117 Century Conditions September 2003 David N. Cole Vita Wright Abstract __________________________________________ Cole, David N.; Wright, Vita. 2003. Wilderness visitors and recreation impacts: baseline data available for twentieth century conditions. Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-117. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 52 p. This report provides an assessment and compilation of recreation-related monitoring data sources across the National Wilderness Preservation System (NWPS). Telephone interviews with managers of all units of the NWPS and a literature search were conducted to locate studies that provide campsite impact data, trail impact data, and information about visitor characteristics. Of the 628 wildernesses that comprised the NWPS in January 2000, 51 percent had baseline campsite data, 9 percent had trail condition data and 24 percent had data on visitor characteristics. Wildernesses managed by the Forest Service and National Park Service were much more likely to have data than wildernesses managed by the Bureau of Land Management and Fish and Wildlife Service. Both unpublished data collected by the management agencies and data published in reports are included. Extensive appendices provide detailed information about available data for every study that we located. These have been organized by wilderness so that it is easy to locate all the information available for each wilderness in the NWPS. Keywords: campsite condition, monitoring, National Wilderness Preservation System, trail condition, visitor characteristics The Authors _______________________________________ David N. Cole is Research Biologist with the Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute, Rocky Mountain Research Station, in Missoula, MT. He completed a B.A. degree in geography from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1972 and a Ph.D. degree in geography from the University of Oregon in 1977. Vita Wright is Research Application Program Leader with the Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute, Rocky Mountain Research Station, in Missoula, MT. She completed a B.S. degree in wildlife biology from the University of Montana, Missoula, in 1992 and an M.S. degree in organismal biology and ecology from the University of Montana in 1996. Acknowledgments _________________________________ Keith Vanderwielen conducted most of the telephone interviews, reviewed many of the publications and designed and compiled most of the database. Nicole Miller also conducted interviews and reviewed publications. Dave Spildie assisted in the creation of the maps. We appreciate their work. We also appreciate the assistance of all those wilderness managers who provided us with information. Contents__________________________________________ Page Introduction ......................................................................................................................1 Methods ...........................................................................................................................2 Baseline Recreation Data for the National Wilderness Preservation System ..................3 Wilderness Campsite Data ...........................................................................................3 Wilderness Trail Data ...................................................................................................6 Wilderness Visitor Characteristics Data ........................................................................8 Wildernesses with the Most Complete Data ...............................................................10 Conclusions....................................................................................................................13 References .....................................................................................................................13 Appendix A: Baseline data available (campsite impact, trail impact, and visitor impact) ........................................................................................................................14 Appendix B. Campsite impact data available .................................................................25 Appendix C: Trail impact data available .........................................................................33 Appendix D: Visitor impact data available ......................................................................35 Appendix E: References for published campsite, trail, and visitor studies .....................44 You may order additional copies of this publication by sending your mailing information in label form through one of the following media. Please specify the publication title and number. Telephone (970) 498-1392 FAX (970) 498-1396 E-mail [email protected] Web site http://www.fs.fed.us/rm Mailing Address Publications Distribution Rocky Mountain Research Station 240 West Prospect Road Fort Collins, CO 80526 Wilderness Visitors and Recreation Impacts: Baseline Data Available for Twentieth Century Conditions David N. Cole Vita Wright Introduction ____________________ the status of baseline recreation monitoring data for all wildernesses in the NWPS at the end of the twen- The Wilderness Act of 1964 established a National tieth century. It documents the proportion of the Wilderness Preservation System (NWPS) “to secure NWPS that has baseline data on recreation visitors for the American people of present and future genera- and impacts, which wildernesses have this data, and tions the benefits of an enduring resource of wilder- where they are located. It identifies the types of data ness.” The Act states that wilderness areas shall be that have been collected, the types of sampling designs administered “for the use and enjoyment of the Ameri- that have been employed, and how and where data can people in such manner as will leave them unim- have been stored. This compilation should help re- paired for future use and enjoyment as wilderness.” searchers identify wildernesses where trends can be Moreover, it is the responsibility of each agency that assessed and help wilderness managers identify other administers wilderness to preserve each area’s “wil- managers who might be contacted about how to ini- derness character.” Since 1964, more than 100 pieces tiate and implement new studies. of legislation have created an NWPS of over 100 The data listed in this report (subject to inevitable million acres, in well over 600 individual wilder- but hopefully minor errors of omission) are all we will nesses, administered by the U.S. Department of the ever have to gain perspective on the condition of Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Fish designated wilderness in the twentieth century re- and Wildlife Service (FWS), and National Park Ser- garding recreation visitors and impacts. Because man- vice (NPS); and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s agers and the interested public, in future decades and Forest Service (FS). centuries, will want to know what these places were To provide for the use and enjoyment of these areas, like, these data will become increasingly valuable. while preserving their wilderness character, it is im- Although some of the data are published in reports or portant for management agencies to monitor wilder- have been carefully archived, most are stored on paper ness recreation visitors and the impacts they cause. files in ranger offices, where they are vulnerable to Some people state that the Wilderness Act mandates loss. We strongly encourage agency personnel to rec- that recreation impacts not be allowed to increase ognize the future value of this data and invest in following wilderness designation (Worf 2001). Ideally, archiving it in such a manner that its perpetuation is baseline conditions should be inventoried at the time ensured. These data could be the basis for valuable each area is designated as wilderness and added to the assessments of recreation and impact trends across NWPS, and then periodically monitored in the future the NWPS. to assess trends in conditions and the efficacy of This report begins with an overview of the status of existing recreation management programs. Such data recreation-related monitoring across the NWPS. will become increasingly valuable to future attempts Three types of studies are surveyed: those that provide to evaluate trends in the wilderness character of each (1) campsite impact data, (2) trail impact data, and area in the NWPS. (3) information about visitor characteristics. Most of Although baseline recreation conditions have been the report consists of appendices (A through E) that inventoried in many wildernesses, such data are lack- present all the recreation monitoring data we located ing in many others. Moreover, the distribution of that had been conducted in each wilderness prior to wildernesses with baseline recreation data is not equi- 2000. This report and the original database are avail- table across the nation or the four agencies that able on the Internet (http://leopold.wilderness.net). manage wilderness. This report is an assessment of USDA Forest Service Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-117. 2003 1 Methods _______________________ with refuge managers and assistant managers, and occasionally with someone with recreation or wilder- The process of compiling this information began in ness in their title. In the NPS,